Adoption

Category: Adoption

I just moved to Nashville from New Jersey and wanted to find ways to meet new people and continue hobbies, as I like being outside and I volunteered for an animal rescue group in NJ.

Before I left, a friend tagged me in an article about Tails of the Trail.

I quickly looked up the organization and knew I had to get involved! The whole idea of Tails of the Trail is so smart, and you can see a difference in the animals after you walk them.

I signed up for my first event with the group in November and went to Cheatham County Animal Shelter. We were given a really friendly, informative introduction about how to handle the dogs, and I met a lot of very nice volunteers. There is a lot of care and effort on the volunteers’ part and the event was super well organized. You could see that the dogs were having the best day ever, especially after the walk when they were given puppy popsicles – so sweet!

The second dog I walked that day, named Arnold, was an absolute sweetheart.

He was a little shy with me and had some serious skin issues that needed to be addressed. He reminded me of my family dog at home who we rescued and had similar issues.

I inquired about Arnold and ended up going back to the shelter the following Monday to hang out with the little guy. He wasn’t available for adoption until he was neutered, so I spent a little over a week walking and playing with him each day. As soon as he was neutered and cleared to go home, I adopted him!

He’s recovering from his skin infection and is still rocking a cone of shame, but he could not be happier. His personality totally blossomed and now he loves playing with toys and is a total mush. He also celebrated his first Thanksgiving with my family and our dogs, and absolutely loved it.

I definitely have to thank Tails of the Trail for not only hosting a great event, but for introducing me to little Arnold!

I look forward to doing more events with the group and I love having my new little buddy!

in the days leading up to the July 23, 2016, Tails of the Trail event at the Maury County Animal Shelter in Columbia, my first time to volunteer for Tails. I did not bring a dog home that day, but I did become emotionally attached to one. Nearly three weeks later, my wife and I brought the dog home together.

After 26 years without a dog in my adult life, I had begun to be cautiously drawn to the idea of having a dog in our family.

So when I learned about a volunteering opportunity to give exercise to shelter dogs, it seemed the perfect way to be around them without owning one. I knew my daughter would be visiting from Knoxville on a July weekend when Tails was doing an event at the Maury County shelter, so I signed us both up.

Sammy was the first dog I walked that day. He is a 25-pound border collie beagle mix, with a border collie’s black and white coloring and a beagle’s body. Thirteen months old when I met him, he still looks like a puppy. When the volunteer led him to me, Sammy stood on his back legs and gently rested his speckled socks in my hand in a most endearing greeting. On our walk, he was all business. He wasn’t interested in dog treats or pupsicles, laying in the shade, or playing in the pool. He just wanted to follow his nose. He never barked, and never acknowledge any of the other dogs. But when any other human came near, he greeted them by raising up and gently placing his paws on the person’s arm or outstretched hand, standing there as in conversation. We made notes about each dog we exercised.

For Sammy, I wrote, “The perfect combination of sweetness and energy. He’ll make some family a great dog.”

Between my daughter and I, we exercised five dogs that day, including Sammy. On the way home, I said I wasn’t sure if I had walked the dogs, or if they had walked me. All five dogs were special in some way and at dinner that night, the dogs were all we could talk about–the way each one acted, how happy they seemed to be about being able to get outside.

In the days that followed, I kept thinking about Sammy.

I watched every video YouTube showed me from a “border collie beagle” search. I researched the border collie beagle mix and learned this was an intelligent, high energy dog, requiring a lot of mental and physical exercise. This matched what I had seen in Sammy, and fit what I was looking for. Not a dog to sit on the couch with, but a dog to hike trails with.

On the second Monday after meeting Sammy, I called the shelter to check on him. They said he was there, but was quarantined. That sounded ominous, so I didn’t ask more. Yet I still couldn’t forget about him. On Friday of that same week, I called back to check on him and to get more information about the quarantine.

The shelter employee said Sammy had been adopted and returned the next day because his temperament wasn’t suited for a family with a toddler and another dog. “He doesn’t seem to get along well with other dogs,” the employee said. When I relayed all of this to my wife, she knew. She has heard the stories my mother tells of my elementary school teachers saying, “John is a good student, but he doesn’t get along with the other kids.” We agreed that if no one else claimed Sammy by the time he was out of quarantine, and if the shelter would approve us, that we would adopt him.

On the following Monday, we got the word that Sammy was released from quarantine. We filled out the paperwork
and the next day, after a frank discussion about Sammy’s hyperactivity, we were approved to adopt him.

That Thursday, 19 days after first meeting Sammy, my wife and I brought him home.

Sammy has lived up to his billing as an intelligent, high energy dog. But he has adapted well to our family and we to him, with some adjustments on all sides.

I’m proud that he gets along with other dogs well now, to the point that dog parks are fun, and he goes to doggy daycare one day a week.

He especially likes bigger dogs who like to run. He’s 60 pounds of dog in a 25-pound body. Our step counters tell us we are three times more active than before, and I have lost 15 pounds.

I like to think all of us, Sammy included, have learned something in the two months since he joined our family.

But the main thing I have learned is that a walk is more fulfilling when it’s taken with a dog.

With Chelsea’s adoption of Regina today, that makes it an even 50 adoptions/fosters precipitated by Tails of the Trail! Chelsea volunteered with fellow employees from naviHealth to walk shelter dogs at Metro Nashville Animal Care & Control. naviHealth employees receive paid time off to give back to the community.

How Adoption Can Change Your Life

Our wonderful family dog Twister passed away from cancer in the fall of 2014, just before the holidays. We were saddened by his passing but were grateful to have had him as part of our family!

This is not just a story of losing our family dog; it’s a testament of how he brought so much joy and love to each of us, and how he inspired us in many ways we didn’t see coming.

My sons, Daniel, Bryce, and I had Twister in our lives for 14 years after adopting him in June 2000 from an adoption fair at a local pet store in Franklin, Tennessee. He was a mixed breed, around 8 weeks old and the one of three siblings that barked the loudest in the playpen. Bryce picked him up and didn’t want to put him down, promising to feed him and give him fresh water each day if only we could take him home. I couldn’t say no and felt it would be good for Bryce to learn some responsibility and have a dog to play with after school.

Twister in 2014

While there at the adoption fair we learned how Twister came to be put up for adoption. He, his two siblings and mom were rescued by a fireman during the May 2000 tornados. The mom named “Stormy” had taken her three puppies down into a drain to wait out the storm.

With Twister’s loss comes a new kind of understanding. After his passing, I realized that I had to “do something” so his life wasn’t wasn’t in vain.

Twister brought so much love and happiness during the 14 years he was with us. With this, I knew I wanted to help other dogs feel loved while waiting to find their forever family – and from that, our Twister leaves a kind of legacy inspiring others in addition to the strong legacy he leaves us who knew him.

“When I first heard of ‘Tails of the Trails’ walking and helping shelter dogs find loving homes, I knew this was something that I had to be a part of!”

Twister inspired me to volunteer with shelter dogs and promote the adoption of shelter dogs. When I first heard of ‘Tails of the Trails’ walking and helping shelter dogs find loving homes, I knew this was something that I had to be a part of! My first event in July 2015 was so much fun. I so enjoyed taking hundreds of photos showing how happy and loved the shelter dogs were while walking along the trails with their volunteer caretakers.

The big smiles on everyone’s face spoke volumes as the volunteers shared lots of treats and lots of love while caring for their pooch. The furry face lickers and tail waggers were so grateful for the time spent walking, big hugs and the delicious homemade yogurt and peanut butter treats shared at the end of each hike. It was amazing to see how such a simple deed eased the fear and anxiety helping the dogs feel love and encouragement that their new ‘forever family’ would soon find them.

Camp out with Twister, May 2001

Twister also inspired me to make some changes in my own life after his death, highlighting what’s important and that life is very short in the grand scheme of things.

He gave me a life that was worth so much more than it did previous to adopting him. It gave me a clear sense of meaning and purpose, which was to help other dogs that are less fortunate and homeless with no one to love.

“Twister gave me a clearer sense of meaning and purpose, which was to help other dogs that are less fortunate and homeless with no one to love”

Early in February 2015 my son, Bryce adopted Sophia, a black lab, pit bull mix. She’s so loving and full of energy she can’t stop wiggling from head to paws with happiness when he brings her over. She now gets to enjoy evening walks with the family and socializing with other dogs at the dog park.

Sophia 2015

In October 2015, I stopped by an animal shelter in Murfreesboro just to look and maybe take a dog out for a short walk. While walking around the caged dogs, I noticed a small white puppy looking straight up at me with the most beautiful brown eyes. Reaching into the cage, I picked her up to take her outside for fresh air and a brief walk. She had just been spayed and didn’t feel well. Her fur was so fluffy and soft as she snuggled up laying her face as close to mine on my shoulder. When I looked at her she looked back with those big brown eyes as if saying don’t leave me. And I couldn’t.

Not intending on adopting that day, I just couldn’t put her back in that cage. So I adopted her. During the drive home I kept staring at her wondering what was she thinking. Was she happy? With an occasional glance she slept in the front seat the entire trip home. Her forever home. Bella, a Great Pyrenees mix was eight weeks old. Now that she was home, I couldn’t image life without her.

Bella and Chanel 2016

Three months later came Chanel. Chanel was a hybrid mix half Newfoundland, half Bernese Mountain dog. An elderly couple adopted her but had to give her up as their health was not the best making it impossible to keep her. She was 3 months when I adopted her. Today Bella and Chanel are BFFs. They are so happy and I love them incredibly.

Later that year, my son Daniel, took in a stray pit bull. Found on the side of the street with cropped ears and a docked tail. Stitches made from fishing line still in both ears, this puppy had been dropped most likely after losing an illegal dog fight. While dog fighting is a felony in the United States, it continues underground illegally.

Daniel immediately took him to the veterinarian for medicine and weekly skin treatments thereafter due to a painful and severe skin rash that had taken over his entire body leaving the skin inflamed and bare with some areas raw and bleeding. His hair was completely gone.

Ricco 2016

After several months of treatments and tender loving care Ricco was beginning to look better. Despite all this dog had been through he is incredibly loving and such a loyal companion.

Family holidays are very lively with all our adopted pets having the best time playing and just being happy lovable dogs. Lot’s of playful banter, tail wagging, butt sniffs, peeing and more sniffs. Yes, our family continues to carry out Twister’s legacy.

Fourteen years flew by too fast. While our newest family members will never be a replacement for Twister as he is irreplaceable, but a reassertion of all that Twister stood for: an incalculable blessing to inspire future adoptions.

I can go on, and on, and on about all the wonderful experiences Twister brought into our lives. Many of the memories that each of us carry will remain in our hearts for an eternity. And for that, I am forever grateful to that puppy who barked the loudest, was abandoned until fate brought us together in June 2000. A day that would forever change the course of our lives.

Famished after our hike, even we humans had to eat! Business was bustling at the Apollo Food Truck, but Cassie (a food truck worker), couldn’t take her eyes off of Roc. Roc had arrived from Cheatham County Animal Control (CCAC). The shelter was temporarily closing due to much needed renovations.

Finding a home for Roc and the other dogs at this shelter was a top priority. Would the luck of the Irish be in Roc’s favor?

I spent the better part of the afternoon walking Roc alongside the Apollo Food Truck; Cassie couldn’t leave her work post, and having Roc nearby definitely made Cassie’s day. She totally delighted in watching Roc… so much so that she decided to adopt the precious pup! I became the de facto liaison between Cassie and TJ Jordi (the Director of Cheatham County Animal Control), shuffling the paperwork back and forth until Cassie got the final approval to adopt dear Roc. All that was left was the adoption fee payment; as adopting a dog that day was not on Cassie’s to-do list, she didn’t have the extra cash on hand. Needless to say, I was determined to do whatever it might take to make Roc’s adoption happen.

There’s nothing more our volunteers cherish more than seeing a dog find a permanent, loving home. It’s a priceless reward that touches all our hearts.

Thanks to all the hard work and effort from our volunteers, five dogs were adopted that day! There must have been four-leaf clovers aplenty in the field that day. A bit of luck and a lot of love is exactly what it takes to find homes for these precious pups!

I love this time of year: Spring, the season of renewal and rebirth! The woods come alive with blossoming trees, and delicate wildflowers blanket the forest floor. It is a welcome change after the chill and bleakness of winter.

Now we have even more reason to celebrate because it is the first anniversary of the adoption of our dog, Reese.

Upon reflection of a previous post, Rescue, reward, and Reese: A shelter dog adoption story, I have to say that any apprehension we may have had about taking a shelter dog into our lives turned out to be totally unfounded. We can’t even imagine life now without him! I know that my husband, Paul, shares the same sentiments. He admits to missing Reese while away on business trips, and always greets Reese at the door with a jerky treat. Too cute!

Reese is our first canine furbaby, and as any new parent can attest, every new occasion or activity is a big deal. We are still learning, honing our dog ownership skills along the way. We’ve made that desperate emergency trip to the vet all parents fear, only to be reassured that everything would be fine. I’ve since taken a canine first aid class provided by Tails of the Trail.

On our first road trip, Reese barked at every single noise he heard in the hotel – all night long! Although this made for anything but a rejuvenating weekend getaway, it was a learning experience. Of course, Reese was merely being a dog and alerting us, his pack, to what he saw as potential danger. As it turns out, our camping trips allow a better night’s sleep for all three of us, as we make sure to set up the tent in a secluded spot away from the noise and lights of other campers passing by in the middle of the night. As with anything in life, practice makes perfect and each experience builds upon the last. It’s amazing to see what a difference a year has made in Reese’s social skills!

My husband and I have established a routine which ensures Reese is included in as many activities with us as possible, from frequent errand runs (what dog doesn’t love to ride in the car?) to our occasional getaways. We really appreciate dog-friendly businesses, stores, restaurants, and other places. These are all wonderful opportunities to practice manners and obedience. When we are out on the town, it is so rewarding to hear compliments from workers and other customers about Reese’s excellent behavior!

You should see how surprised they are to learn that he was once a stray taken in by animal control. Of course, many already know that rescued dogs usually turn out to be superb pets and grateful companions.

It warms my heart to hear people share their dog adoption stories. A fellow hiker told me that she was inspired to adopt a senior dog because that age group is the least likely to find placement outside of a shelter or rescue group. Please don’t assume that you must get a puppy or a young dog, or that you should avoid adopting dogs that have been at a shelter for a relatively long time. Reese had been housed by CCAC for nine months prior to adoption. He had been designated as a heartworm-positive, 3.5 year-old pit bull mix – all of which are often considered to drastically lower the chances of adoption.

In our case, the timing was just right – and thankfully, we had the resources to nurse Reese back to health. We are proud to tell a story which clearly demonstrates that an adult shelter dog can be a wonderful pet.

There was no potty training involved, no chewed up personal belongings – and the truth is, you can teach an old dog new tricks! We’ve got his intermediate education certification and graduation photo proudly hanging above his food bowl.

Sometimes you find a dog. Sometimes a dog finds you. Join Erin on this ten year journey after she discovered the dog who would come to be known as “Ellie May” by happenstance on the side of the road in rural Tennessee.

One October Sunday, while driving out in the Tennessee country looking at the pretty fall leaves, I started to slow my car down in case the cat that was sitting on the side of the road ahead of me decided to run in front of it. But as I got closer, I saw that it was not a cat, but instead a skin-and-bones little puppy with pointy ears and a long tail.

I stopped my car on the side of the road to get a better look. She had no collar. Obviously not eaten in quite some time. She had hardly any fur, scabs all over her body and face, fleas and bugs crawling on her, and some shiny wound on her side that looked odd.

I got out of the car, walked up to her slowly and said, “Hi puppy, what are you doing here?” She looked up at me and slowly wagged her tail. I walked back to my car and opened the trunk to get a towel.

I turned around, patted my leg and said, “Come here little dog” and motioned for her to follow me. She trotted across the road and I wrapped her in the towel and picked her up. I put part of the towel underneath her and sat her in the front passenger seat. She whined for a second, started turning around in a circle (like dogs do when they’re making a bed) and laid down. Within only a minute or two she was asleep.

She spent the night in my bathtub while I waited for Sunday to turn into Monday and I could take her to a shelter. My current lease said no dogs allowed and I wasn’t financially prepared to take care of her.

The shelter didn’t usually intake new dogs on Monday, but I said she was sick and possibly injured so they said over the phone they’d make an exception. When I got to the shelter they looked her over. Pretty quickly said they couldn’t take her because she was so sick. Monetarily they weren’t able to provide that amount of care and her mange could be contagious to the other dogs.

They said if I left her, there was only one other option. That option made me immediately tear up.

So I made the decision to take her to the vet and figure out the money and “no dogs in the house” lease situation later. Ugh.

When we got in to see the doctor, he determined she was about three or four months old, weighed eight pounds, had a pretty bad case of stress-related mange, an eye infection, fleas, and worms.

And that shiny wound on her side? Buckshot. In fact, she had quite a few pellets still imbedded in her.

He said he wanted to be honest and say that while she’s very sick there’s a chance she could pull through. But that I could also do all the right things and she still not make it. So once again I had a choice. And once again, I started to tear up.

“I want to try. I can’t not try.”

So he gave her a deworming shot, told me about the medicine for the mange I would have to give her, the shampoo she would need to use, and the drops for her eye infections. We optimistically scheduled a surgery for down the road for her to get spayed along with a few in between check ups.

Now…what to do about the lease situation…

“So…I found a puppy…” I told my landlord. Turns out he had three rescue dogs of his own and had no problem with me keeping her as long as I took care of the place.

So I took her home to give her her first mange-be-gone bath. Because she was so skinny and shivering so badly afterward, I wrapped her in a towel and held her like you’d hold a tiny baby. It didn’t take long before she fell asleep on my chest.

It was around that time I started to think of names for her. I wanted to call her something different or give her a full proper name like they do in dog shows. The number eleven popped into my mind and I thought, “Well, Eleven could be part of her name but she would need a nickname.” At that moment The Beverly Hillbillies came on TV and since I’d found her out in the country, the “little puppy that could” became Ellie Mae.

The next day I had to return to work so my friend let me borrow her cat crate for Ellie to stay in while I was gone. I was trying to contain the fleas to one area (if she had any) so the crate stayed in the kitchen.

For the first few days, without fail, I would let Ellie out of the crate and a buckshot pellet or two would be left inside. I’m still not sure if she was pulling them out herself or they were working their way to the surface.

It took a solid two months for her to get the “mostly clear” from the vet, even though she still had hardly any hair. There was a chance the mange could come back if she got really stressed.

But boy was this tired little dog starting to get some energy. It seemed like she was making up for lost time. So after another month or two of her healing I started to take her to what I told her was “puppy class.”

Turns out that not only was this dog a fighter, but I discovered she was pretty smart too. (I mean I’m her mom so of course I’m going to say that, but I promise I’m not lying…)

She picked up things really quickly and the trainer called her “the Ambassador” because she could get any dog to play with her. Even the one dog who didn’t like any dogs, and had been deemed dog aggressive was comfortable around Ellie.

At home she figured out how to open my bathroom door by pulling on my robe that hung on the back of it, how to lift the toilet seat, get out of a wire crate without opening the door, and conversely unlock the door to get into the crawl space. (The latter is not my favorite trick. I’ve had to crawl in after her a few times.)

I learned that she’s great with kids, loves dogs, cats, horses, pigs, cows, bus rides, car rides, walks, hikes, and loves running on the treadmill way more than I do. Sometimes I think about how much she (and I) would have missed out on had she not gotten the chance to get better. But then after I think that I do my best to just enjoy where she’s at now.

You’d never be able to tell by looking at her, but as of this writing she’s almost ten years old and has been such a great joy in my life.

In my work, being there with people through transitions, I believe change and healing is possible. And I think it’s the same for dogs. They just need a chance and people to support them. I plan to continue giving more dogs a chance and I hope Ellie may have inspired you to do so as well. I mean, just look at that face…

Erin Pauling, a transplant from Chicago, is a life coach based in Nashville and is Secretary on the Tails of the Trail board of directors. She loves asking questions, trying new things, singing like a cartoon chipmunk, and whispering to dogs.

One of the first things I said when I saw the precious pooch named Minnie Pearl was, “HowDEE!”

Minnie looked so forlorn lying in her pen, what with her misshapen, cropped ears. This girl, I thought, deserves something more akin to country music star treatment! I gently coaxed her out of her pen at Metro Animal Care and Control and took her for a walk outside. Minnie Pearl — so sweet and gentle — just wanted to cuddle; she wouldn’t even leave my side. As I returned Ms. Pearl back to her pen, adoption hours had just begun. At that moment, I resigned myself to finding Minnie a loving home.

Minutes later, I met a lovely woman and her two young daughters who had come to the shelter to look at Grandpa, a much older bulldog/pit bull mix. She already had two younger, rowdier dogs at home and wanted an older, mellower dog to join them. As luck would have it, I had taken Grandpa out for a walk minutes earlier. Not the mellow dog at all, Grandpa was a rather feisty fella which behaved younger than his years. I told her of my experience with Grandpa, thinking all along that Minnie — not Grandpa — was the dog she perhaps ought to be considering. I explained to her that although Minnie was only a couple of years old, she was very gentle and loving… perhaps just the dog to help temper the rambunctious behavior of the woman’s other two.

When the family passed by the pen a second time, Minnie seemed to look longingly at the family with sadness in her eyes — or, just maybe, the perceived sadness was my own pity for the precious canine. At that point I introduced the family to Minnie, hoping that the metal barrier between them would soon be but a memory.

I finished my shift and headed for the front lobby, where I was thrilled to see the family filling out the form to officially meet and greet Minnie. I struggled to contain my excitement and let them know I hoped they would find Minnie to be the one. At soul level, I was extremely hopeful this was Minnie’s lucky day — the day she’d find a home with a loving family. Could my words of encouragement actually save a canine life today, or would they return home empty handed? Could my simple actions possibly serve as catalyst for a loving relationship between a doomed shelter pup and searching family? Would this be a random act of kindness with results?

A couple of days later, Metro Animal Control posted a beautiful picture of Minnie Pearl going home with her new family. The joy I felt at that moment was indescribable! Because of the small amount of time taken to understand a family’s needs, I had actually saved Minnie! And if I can do it, anyone can!

Minnie Pearl now goes by the name of Ruby. A recent video sent by her new family shows Ruby frolicking in the snow with her two new four-legged siblings. It doesn’t get better than that for a true dog lover! I encourage everyone who loves animals to take the time to volunteer at a local animal shelter or dog rescue operation and see how satisfying the experience can be… especially when you know you are instrumental in creating a new and lasting relationship between man and man’s best friend.

A dozen shelter dogs in Nashville are closer to finding forever homes thanks to a family Christmas gift. Instead of the typical gift card or mall trinket, Tails of the Trail pack leader Emily Raudabaugh chose to sponsor the adoption fees for a dozen shelter dogs at Metropolitan Nashville Animal Care & Control (MACC) as her gift to her family this year.
[/av_textblock]

[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]“I was thinking about what to give my family and I came to the quick realization that we are blessed with all we need,” Emily said.

“These homeless dogs stole my heart after volunteering at Metro with Tails of the Trail and they need forever homes.”

Check out twelve wonderful dogs in these photos, find out more on AdoptaPet.com, and contact MACC if you’re interested in adopting.

Any of these pups can be matched to a forever family and the usual adoption fees will be waived thanks to Emily.
[/av_textblock]